What's Worse?
by AGEN Vortex
Summary: (Republished) Ray was captured by the Legion and enslaved. Now, he must keep a promise to get a young Julie free, before the Second Battle of Hoover Dam takes their lives... Rated T for minor cussing, and violence. MORE CHAPTERS SOON. (I type every day)
1. Chapter 1: Capture

Literally, what could be worse than this? Trapped between a cliff and Legate Lanius. What did I do to deserve this?

Oh. Right...

"You have no where to go." Lanius' chilling voice spoke.

"Really? I can go down." I muttered.

"Then do it!" A Legion recruit yelled from the pack of five behind the Beast of the East.

"You cost us a fortune, freeing all those slaves..." Lanius said slowly.

I looked at him and smirked, "Ah well."

"You are incredibly brave if you can make remarks to me." Lanius continued, "Did you know there's cave below us?"

"So?" I asked.

"So..."

That second voice wasn't Lanius. It was that bastard that was climbing from the cave up to the cliff where I was. Next thing I know I'm unconscious. So, now that leads me here.

My name is Ray Zerkiv. And this is how a Legion slave lives...

What is worse?

...

I woke in a wagon being pulled by a brahmin, and escorted by four Legionaries. My wrists were tied to a metal bar on the wagon, my reinforced leather armor was replaced with slave rags, and my weapons were gone. My precious Assault Carbine. Gone. I looked around. Before my capture I was on the border of Nevada and California. I knew Lanius was headed to New Vegas to wage war, so I'm guessing we're bit west of where we were.

"Hey! The new slave is awake!" A legionary next to me yelled.

I got my bearings and saw that there were three more wagons behind me and Lanius in front of me.

"We will head to camp, the sun is setting." I heard the Legate call back to his troops.

Back to where this began. The camp. Hundreds of legionary troops, and, now, an empty slave pen.

A legionary looked at me, and spoke.

"You' get to wear a special collar when we get there." He chuckled.

Great. Explosives around my neck. Awesome. Just then, the wagon rolled past a small pit of water. I looked at my refletion, and noticed that I was a wreck. My brown hair, in which I liked swept back, was now straggly had bits of dirt in it. And I had a cut on my chin from falling to the ground after being knocked out. Well, now my main goal is getting out of here. As far as I can get away.

...

After an hour, the wagon stopped. The legion camp was packed with legionaries. My wrist were cut from the wagon, but the bounds still held. Lanius instructed a recruit to lead me to the slave pen, and fit me with a collar.

"Maybe I could make it a new fashion trend!" I muttered.

At the slave pen, a collar was placed around my neck and I was untied. The 'pen' was just a tent with fencing. Inside were bedrolls, and the only other slave left.

She was a a young girl, only in her teens. She gaped at me from her mess of red hair, and finally looked away.

"They got you?" She muttered.

I sighed, then sat down.

"Yeah." I replied.

"Did my mother make it out?"

"I lead the slaves to the nearest town."

My greatest achievement. Leading thirteen slaves to the town of Grandville, then leading the legion away. I hope that town will be fine. It was ten miles from the legion camp, and they haven't been attacked. Yet...

"Your mother will be fine." I assured her, "I wish I got you out too."

"Yeah..." The girl replied.

I looked at her. I saw her as I lead the slaves out. I had defused all picked the lock on all their collars, but this girl wasn't with the other slaves. I guess she was working. I was going to get her, but Lanius was advancing from the other end of the camp.

"What is your name?" I asked her.

She looked at me, deeply. As if she were unsure about me.

"Julia. Mom calls me Julie."

I smiled at her.

"I'm getting us out of here, Julie." I told her, "I promise."

I looked at the darkening sky and sighed. At least the legion lets slaves rest.

...

"Hey! You two! Get up!"

I sat upright, only half awake, seeing that the collar kept me awake.

"Ray, you'd better get up, or they'll have you crucified." Julie muttered.

I stood up and looked at her.

"Yeah, they do that to anyone that breaks their. 'law'." I replied.

Julie looked at me then back at the legionary.

"Girl, you're working kitchens." He said, and Julie walked towards a large tent with tables.

Then legionary then looked at me.

"You're tending to the brahmin."

Damn it, I hate the smell of brahmin crap! Well at least I'll be able to think up an escape.  
Wow. I could smell the cows already. Two headed cows. What idiot scientist thought that up? Apparently 'tending' meant exactly what I thought it would, because I was handed, a shovel.

After about two hours, I could finally eat something. At the slave tent, Julie was already there.

"Ray, did you have fun?" She asked.

"No, it smelled." I muttered, "This is the food?"

There was a slab of meat on a bedroll.

"Yeah." Julie said.

"Treat us like animals..."

...

After the two of us ate the pathetic excuse of a ration, we were told to start packing up things in the camp, and loading them into wagons. Julie looked at me and spoke.

"We've been traveling a lot since I was captured." She told me, "You've been out there, do you know where we're going?"

I nodded, "To New Vegas, the Second Battle of Hoover Dam is near."

"Hoover Dam?"

"Yeah, big strong point of the Vegas region."

Julie then turned back to disassembling the training tent.

And that's what I'm worried about. The battle. We could die, unless I get us out.

_If_ I get us out...


	2. Chapter 2: Travels, and ambush

**There will be two more chapters after this on. BUT, there will be a sequel. Heh.**

By morning it was time to go, and the camp was gone.

"Slaves!" You're carrying these!"

The Legionnaire pointed at two bunches of small crates tied together, with shoulder straps.

I'd seen them make slaves do this before. Sucks that me and Julie have to carry them all the way to Vegas. I mounted mine on my back, as Julie did the same. Her's was lighter. At least they new a young girl like her would have a hard time with a heavier load. Julie told me was seventeen, and had been in slavery for a year.

"When I was captured they had a huge camp," she explained while we walked next to the wagons, "We started traveling five months ago. They raided many towns and set up camps in them, including my hometown."

"Five months?" I said.

I didn't think they began moving that early.

"Yeah." Julie confirmed, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." I replied.

She looked over at me.

"Why did you free the slaves?"

"It was the right thing to do." I told her.

"Many caravans came to trade with the Legion. Even gun makers that called themselves Gun Runners." Julie muttered.

"So?"

"They had the power to free us, but they were too scared." Julie continued, "But you were brave enough to do it on your own. It's more than just that. You killed half the gate guards, you made sure all got out."

"Except you." I murmured.

"See? Why is it you feel ashamed you left one person."

"It doesn't matter." I said.

"Will you tell me if we get out?" She asked.

"Yes."

That's when a Legion Veteran punched me in the face. I fell the the ground, as Julie shrieked. The legionnaire pulled me out of the way of the other wagons, and dropped the cargo I was carrying into one. Then, I was dropped on top of it, which, might I add, really hurt.

"You aren't getting out!" The veteran said, "You belong to the Legion. You are either sold or you die. Those are the only things close to 'getting out'."

He walked away, and I heard him tell Julie to keep going, or he'd do the same to her.

Screw him. Screw the Legion. We are getting out.

...

An hour past when I was told to get up and carry the crates again. I got up and carried my burden to Julie. The look of shock on her face said it all.

"I'm fine." I assured her, "Just don't talk about 'you know what'."

"You have a black eye now." She informed me.

I felt my eye. Yeah, there was a bit of a bruise.

"Just keep walking." I muttered through clenched teeth, "I can't wait till we stop at night."

She looked back forward. These bastards are going to get theirs.

...

Once night had fallen, the Legate told his soldiers to stop and rest. They didn't pitch camp, but half laid out bedrolls, while the others stood guard. Lanius was one of the awake ones. Julie and I had our wrists tied to the axels on a wagon. I guess no one wanted to watch us, or me, then. I was close enough to the Legate to here him speaking with a veteran.

"We will arrive in New Vegas in twenty-four hours time." The veteran was saying.

"Good. Vegas shall be ours." Lanius' chilling voice was saying, "The Legion shall crush the NCR for mighty Caesar!"

Pathetic that Lanius still is loyal to Caesar, even though he could kill the man easily.

Et tu, brute...

Julie looked at me, while messing with her collar.

"Don't mess with that." I told her, "I don't need you exploding."

She sighed, then tried to sleep. Really awkwardly I might add. She laid down on the dirt, with her arms up tied to the wagon. Legion finds any excuse to torment the slaves. Exhaustion, tripping...talking of escape. Maybe even just for fun.

Well, I might as well sleep too.

"Sleep tight Julie. If possible." I whispered.

...

CRACK

That rifle shot made me and Julie awake immediately, and look around.

"Are they doing target practice?" Julie asked.

I looked around, staring at the hills surrounding us. And at the legionaries. It was still dark, and they were franticly running to cover.

"No." I said, happily, "They're being ambushed."

I saw in the hills, a small orange flash. Not a gunshot, but a reflection. of the legionaries campfire. Snipers! We might be saved.

More cracks of gunfires from the hills, then the legion troops fired. I scooted over, sliding my bound wrists across the metal bar which they were bound. I was trying to lay in front of Julie, to cover her. But something much better happened. One of my hands got free!

I quickly untied my other hand, and grabbed a crate from the wagon in which I was bound. I placed the object in front of the laying Julie, then told her to wait there. I ran around the wagon and saw a dead legionnaire. The gunfire was still going. There must've been at least five snipers, seeing that at least that many gun flares were appearing. The dead legionnaire had a cowboy repeated on him. I grabbed it, then the ammo. Then, I heard a recruit yell.

"A slave is free!"

The legionaries looked at me, and fired. I quickly got in cover and began to fire back. Some legionnaires were dropped by the snipers, while I killed two. But then it struck me. Where is Lanius?

Then I saw him. He was right behind the snipers, and began the stab at the ground.

The gunfire from the hills ceased. My chance to get me and Julie out, gone.

I threw my weapon on the ground, and put my hands up.

"You thought you could get away?" A legionnaire said.

Then he hit me in the face with the butt of his gun.

...

I've been unconscious three times in the past two and a half days. But, when I woke up I didn't open my eyes. I just listened.

"So, who were they?" It sounded like it was the same legionnaire that was talking the Lanius before the attack. And Lanius of course was the other voice.

"They were NCR rangers." He informed his soldier.

"What about the bastard?"

Me I guess.

"He is to be bound at all times, into we reach the Dam." Lanius muttered.

"May I ask why?"

"He shall be crucified once we set camp." The Legate explained, "As a symbol to NCR of what shall happen to their citizens."

Oh crap. Oh. Crap.


End file.
